Foul Play
by MakorraLove97
Summary: The Fire Ferret's opponent's team captain has an interest with Korra, offering her a deal. She denies, but he ignores it. He kisses her & Mako sees it, getting jealous. Being angry with her, he gets distracted during the match & their opponents play dirty. Mako gets hurt & Korra's worried he won't make it. Confessions & explanations are told; secrets come out. *FULL SUMMARY INSIDE*
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there everyone, how's it going? So, this is a two-shot I decided to write when the idea came to me while I was in one of my classes, haha. I really hope you like it!**

**So, after this chapter there should be one more to go! ^_^**

**This story kind of takes place before Amon destroyed the Probending Arena and after Korra joined the Probending team. Asami is not going out with Mako and Bolin has a small crush on Korra, but doesn't **_**like**_** her. Just for a slight warning, for the team I used, Ba Sing Se Badgermoles, I made up names and used random names, except for the waterbender, and you'll figure it out who it is, haha ;) I also made up my own looks for them and personalities. Thanks! :)**

**Can you please let me know what you think of it? I would really appreciate it, thank you! :)**

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_**FULL SUMMARY: **__**It's the Fire Ferrets against the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles. Their opponent's team captain has an interest with Korra, offering her a deal. He wants her to join their team and leave the Fire Ferrets, but she denies, however, he doesn't take no for an answer and he suddenly kisses her. Mako finds them and instantly gets jealous. While being too angry with her, he doesn't hear her out and accuses her of being a traitor. He ends up getting distracted during the match and their opponents play dirty. Mako gets badly hurt and Korra is worried he won't make it. Will she be able to confess her feelings to him in time and explain to him that the kiss he witnessed was all a misunderstanding?**_

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**Thank you for reading! ^_^**

**I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA.**

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"_Foul Play_"

**. . .**

The Probending Arena is piling with hundreds of people, all cheering and talking as they enter the large, golden building and sit in their seats.

The large arena is roaring with the sounds of the screaming fans as they wait impatiently for tonight's match to begin. Tonight it is supposed to be the Fire Ferrets against the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and the fans are beyond excited. Both teams are excellent and now with the Avatar as the waterbender for the Fire Ferrets, the crowd is eager to see how things are going to play out.

Both teams are getting ready by their lockers, the match starting in only a few minutes. Both of the teams are pumped up for the match, adrenalin rushing through them as they get changed into their Probending gear.

Korra finishes putting on her gear and then takes a long, deep breath. If they want to be in the Probending Tournament then they are going to have to do their best in every match and hopefully win each one. Tonight is going to be the first match of the week for the Fire Ferrets and they're ready.

Korra grips her helmet tightly in her hands, staring down at the piece of equipment. She is still somewhat new to Probending and she knows that if she messes up just even once, that could be it for them. She closes her ocean blue eyes and breathes in and out slowly, calming her nerves down. She may be the almighty Avatar who is strong, hotheaded, and confident, but under all of it, she is just a teenage girl as well.

When the young Avatar feels a firm hand rest on her shoulder, her eyes snap open and she glances over her shoulder. Her eyebrows knit together when she notices it's one of the members from the team they are about to face tonight, the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles.

She turns around and looks at the member with curious eyes as her face holds a questioning look. "Uh, can I help you?"

The guy standing in front of her smirks down at Korra and leans his side against the locker, folding his arms across his chest. "Ah, you're the young Avatar, correct? The new member of . . . –what was it again?- the Fire Ferrets?"

Korra narrows her eyes at him, but slowly nods her head, "That's right. I'm their new waterbender. I've been their new waterbender for a few weeks now."

"Ah, interesting." The man says as he slightly shrugs one of his shoulders. Korra eyes him, not liking his sarcastic tone. She places her helmet on the bench next to her and folds her arms across her chest, "And you are?"

"I'll be facing you tonight. The name's Jet. I'm the team captain and earthbender of the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles." He introduces himself with a cocky attitude, "You know, _Korra_, I'm looking forward to facing you in tonight's match."

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to winning." Korra simply replies with a smirk of her own as she leans her side against the lockers. "Now, if you excuse me, I have to finish getting ready."

He watches her carefully, his eyes scanning up and down her body as she turns her back to him. She huffs, a piece of her chocolate brown hair blowing out of her face as she does so. She could feel his eyes on her and she is trying her hardest to not snap at him and cause a scene right before the match. She slowly turns back around and raises an eyebrow, "Can I help you with something? You're still here."

"It's just that hard to tear my eyes away from you, I suppose." He says with a crooked smile, but Korra just rolls her eyes, "Smooth . . . real smooth."

He shrugs one shoulder, but continues to grin down at her, "Hey, what can I say? I'm a smooth guy."

"Uh-huh, sure you are."Korra says and then sighs, "Listen, I really have to finish getting ready and soon enough, we'll be in the ring together and I'll be kicking your sorry butt."

He raises an eyebrow, saying he was surprised at that comment would be an understatement. He just shakes his head at her and takes a step towards her, already invading her personal area. He leans his head down so it's only inches from hers and he grins widely, "Oh come on, surely you don't mean that. You'll be too busy dreaming of the two of us, together . . . alone and-"

"Stop." Korra growls through clenched teeth, being far passed the point of being annoyed and irritated by him. "I don't know what kind of games you're trying to play with me here, but whatever you're trying to do, it's not working. Now, leave so I could finish getting ready for our match tonight."

He chuckles and nods his head, "Okay, _Avatar_, whatever you wish for." He then takes a step back, turning around, and getting ready to leave. However, before he leaves, he glances over his shoulder and says with a smirk, "Try not to be so surprised if you lose. You know what they say, the referee can be sometimes, well, _blind_ to some _illegal_ moves, ya' know?"

Korra could feel her blood boiling inside of her. She frowns at him and glares at his back, her hands turning into tight fist, "Oh! So you plan on cheating for tonight's match? Well sorry, buddy, but I'm the _Avatar_ and I can still take you on!"

"Hey," He begins as he turns around, still grinning down at her, "don't get all fired up now. Save it for the match, sweetheart." His dark, forest green eyes stare into her blue ones and his brown hair shining from the light above them. He watches the steam rise out of her and he just shakes his head, "Hey, maybe we could settle this."

"Excuse me?" Korra asks through her clenched teeth while tapping her foot and one of her eyebrow raises.

"Maybe," Jet starts as he walks right back up to her, making sure there are only inches of space between them, "we could make a deal. We'll play fair and square _if_ . . . you join us. We'll get rid of our waterbender and you could be our new teammate. What do you say?"

She gasps, her eyes widening, shocked that he would be asking such an offer to her. She loves being part of the Fire Ferrets. They were the first real friends she met since she came to Republic City and it doesn't help the fact that she has feelings for the team captain, Mako.

She narrows her ice blue eyes at him and shakes her head, "Not a chance, Pretty Boy." His smirk drops from his face and a frown replaces it, "Is that how it's gonna be?"

The young Avatar nods her head, proud of her decision, but what happens next leaves her speechless. The next thing she knows is that he is pressing his lips against hers, pressing her against the lockers. Of course, if matters couldn't get any worse, Mako walks into the room, about to tell Korra they're about to enter the ring.

His amber eyes widen at the sight and he feels a sting of jealously run through him. His jaw clenches and so does his fists and he could instantly feel his blood boil inside him. He narrows his eyes at Korra and then at the man who is their opponent for tonight, Jet.

Mako doesn't waste another moment before turning on his heels and walking right back out of the room, bumping into his brother on his way out. Bolin could see the steam coming out of his brother and he frowns, wondering what suddenly got him in a bad mood.

Korra shoves Jet off her, narrowing her eyes at the man and shouting, "Get off, you freak! I'm not joining your team, so forget that, okay? Now, get out of my way and leave me alone!" All Korra wanted to do at that moment was to firebend his butt all the way to Ba Sing Se, but she stops herself, knowing if she does, that could caused them the match.

He rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed with her and she could obviously see it. She watches as he starts turning around, getting ready to leave, but before he does, he mumbles back to her, "You're gonna regret it, Avatar. You and your precious friends. Hope you're ready for tonight 'cause it's gonna be long and painful." He places his own helmet he was carrying on his head and then adds, "This isn't gonna be such a fair fight, I'm worrying ya' know, Avatar. It's gonna be a foul play, I promise you that."

Korra folds her arms across her chest, watching him leave the room and once she is sure he is gone, she lets out a loud groan as she slams her head against the lockers. She huffs and when she hears Bolin shout out to her that the match is about to begin, she snatches her helmet and roughly places it on her head. With one last sigh, the young Waterbender walks out to go meet her teammates, hoping that the match doesn't go as badly as Jet promised her it would.

**. . .**

"_Oh! Did you see that? The Avatar just got thrown right out of the ring by an illegal move! Did the referee not see that? How couldn't he! Looks like the former waterbender of the Fire Ferrets, Hasook, joined the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and wow did he just pull a fast move on the Avatar! There seemed to be crushed rocks in the water Hasook bended at Korra and wow did it look painful when it slammed into her._" The announcer says into the microphone, announcing the match as he watches carefully.

"_Ouch! Looks like the Fire Ferret's firebender, Mako, and the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles' firebender, Nyla, are going head to head! Look at that girl move! She definitely knows how to dodge Mako's moves and shoot back with her own powerful ones. Then look here we have Bolin, the Fire Ferret's earthbender, go neck to neck with Hasook and Jet! Wow does this look like an intense match alright so far, folks!_"

Korra swims out of the water, gasping as the pain her left arm is in; the rocks that was in the water slammed right into her, cutting through her clothes and into her skin. She clenches her jaw and swims to the platform that will bring her back up once the first round is over.

She watches as Bolin ducks under Jet's earth disc and then she watches Bolin jump into the air and kick two earth discs, one at Jet and the other at Hasook. She smirks when she watches Hasook get thrown right into the water below the ring and Jet get pushed back a zone.

Mako ducks under Nyla's fire kick, the flames only inches from his face, and then he punches his own flames at her. Her golden eyes widen and Mako's strong flames push her back a zone.

Korra watches Jet carefully, knowing he is going to try to pull another stunt again like he did to her. Then, right on cue, before the timer goes out, Nyla continuously throws fire and fire streams at Mako, making him finally go falling off the edge of the ring and into the water. The time goes out and the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles win the first round of the match.

Korra meets up with Mako and Bolin and she narrows her eyes at Mako, "Hey, what gives?"

"What's your problem?" Mako shoots back at her, narrowing his eyes right back at her; amber eyes glaring into blue eyes.

She folds her arms across her chest and raises an eyebrow, "What's _my_ problem? What's _yours_? You completely just lost focus in the last round! What happened to Mr. Cool Under Fire, huh?"

"Says the one that got knocked into the water first." Mako quickly snaps right back at her, folding his own arms across his chest. "You know, why don't you just join their team and save us the time of losing?"

Bolin watches the two of them go back and forth, but when he tries to intervene, he only gets yelled at to stay out of it. He sighs and continues to watch them until the referee tells them round two is about to begin.

"Excuse me?" Korra asks, surprised Mako would say that to her. "What are you talking about?"

He rolls his amber eyes and says in an annoyed tone, not making eye contact with her, "You know exactly what I mean, Korra." He turns to look at her, his eyes glaring hard at her and his voice harsh when he speaks, "I saw everything, Korra, okay? You were _kissing_ Jet! Our opponent!"

Bolin's eyes widen as he turns to his friend, "Korra? You didn't . . . you didn't kiss him, did you?"

The Avatar rolls her eyes and shakes her head, throwing her hands up in the air, "No! Well, I mean yes, but it's _not_ what it looked like, okay?" She watches as Mako waves her off and he calls over his shoulder, getting into his fighting stance, "Whatever, Korra. What you do is your business, but do us a favor, my brother and I are here to win so if you can't keep your head in the game and help do that, then I suggest you leave after tonight."

Korra stares at him, her eyes wide as she blinks away the tears that threaten to fall. She watches the back of him, completely dumbfounded of what just happened. That hurt, a lot . . . how could he say something to her like that? She sucks in a deep breath and swallows the lump that is stuck in her throat; she looks away from him and doesn't look up at Bolin's shocked and confused eyes either.

She keeps her head down and gets into her fighting stance and from the corner of her eye, she could see Bolin doing the same. She could see the hurt and confusion in Mako's dark eyes and she frowns, he doesn't understand and knowing him, he probably won't let her explain either.

The bell finally rings, signaling for round two to begin and then with that, as soon as the bell goes off, the teams go at each other with everything they got.

**. . .**

Round two started off good for the Fire Ferrets, but once the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles noticed that, they fought back dirty. They started to cheat again and the round suddenly turned back around into the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles' favor.

Bolin is stuck in zone three while Mako and Korra are stuck in zone two. The two of them are trying their best to dodge the attacks their opponents are throwing at them, but it is fairly obvious that neither Mako nor Korra has their heads in the game.

Bolin glances over at Mako and Korra and watches them try to stay away from each other the best they could. Bolin watches as Korra could have easily saved Mako from a hit to the stomach from an earth disc, but she simply looked away, focusing on attacking Hasook.

Both, Nyla and Jet, are tag-teaming Mako while Korra is staying put with fighting with Hasook. Bolin stops throwing his earth discs at Hasook and quickly rushes over to help his older brother.

Mako ducks under Nyla's fire blast, the flames inches from his face and the announcer quickly comments on that, "_Did you see that? Mr. Cool Under Fire just dodged Nyla's attack and shot at her with his own blast of fire! What a move! Oh, looks like the two Famous Bending Brothers are fighting together against Jet and Nyla, which it seems that Jet has a thing out for Mako. Incredible!_"

Korra rolls her eyes at the announcement and stays focus on Hasook, carefully watching his moments and dodging his attacks, simply reacting by throwing her own water whips at him when she finds an opening. Suddenly, right before Korra could bend the water to protect herself, Hasook bends ice around her ankle and makes her trip, falling flat on her face.

She growls and looks up at the referee, noticing that he paid absolutely no attention to what just happened. Of course, Jet made sure he wouldn't pay attention.

Nyla glances over at Jet and he nods his head sharply back at her. Her golden eyes shine with delight and she quickly turns her attention back to Mako, smirking at him. She ducks under his fire blast and makes eye contact with Bolin. Mako notices it and narrows his amber eyes at her, watching her movements carefully.

The match continues on, Ba Sing Se Badgermoles and Fire Ferrets going at it with everything they have in them, but the Fire Ferrets are close to losing this match. With Mako and Korra in zone two and Bolin in zone three, they are only inches away from falling right out of the ring and falling down below into the waters.

Korra keeps her eyes locked with Hasook as she jumps in the air and sends a powerful water whip right at Hasook, knocking him finally back a zone. She smirks, happy she managed to do that and then glances over to Mako, watching him and Bolin go against Nyla's fire and Jet's earth discs.

The young Avatar really hates fighting with him, but _he_ is the one overreacting, not her. At least, that is what she keeps telling herself. She rolls her eyes, trying to keep her head in the game, but her mind keeps wandering right back to the Firebender that is standing next to her.

If only he knew she didn't like Jet one bit and all her feelings belong to him, Mako.

Hasook suddenly switches his attention away from Korra and starts attacking Bolin. Korra narrows her eyes and tries to figure out what he is up to. Nyla is already taking care of Bolin while Jet is fighting with Mako, so, why would be just leave her to fight with Bolin?

Korra rushes over to help Bolin with Hasook, so now it is Jet against Mako and Korra and Bolin against Hasook and Nyla. Something isn't right and Korra knows it, but she pushes that out of her mind and focuses on the match.

Nyla smirks as she kicks up a wave at fire which is awfully way to close to Korra's face and attacks the young Avatar, who, in return, yelps at the unbearable heat of the powerful flames. Of course, once again, the referee notices nothing.

Mako automatically turns his attention to Korra, to see what happened since he heard her yelp. However, that was the plan all along . . .

Jet grins when he notices the Firebender distracted and he quickly uses that to his advantage. He bends two earth discs up from and slams one into Mako's stomach and the other right into Mako's shoulder blade. Mako stumbles backwards into zone three, but Jet quickly bends two more discs and slams them again into him, one again into his shoulder and the other right in his abdomen.

Korra watches, unable to move from the shock of what just happened. Mako's scream of pain rings right through her ears and she watches him stumble backwards right into zone three and then right down below in the waters. She notices the spots of blood that Mako left behind as he fell backwards and she continues to watch him fall down into the waters below.

Bolin didn't even have the chance to grab onto his brother and help him, since he did not even notice what happened until it was too late. Bolin's forest green eyes widen in horror at the sight and a gasp escapes his lips; he is too shocked to even scream out his brother's name.

"MAKO!" Korra finally finds her voice as she screams; her voice full of horror and fear. She quickly runs over to the edge of the ring and makes a dive right into the pit of water blow the ring, diving right into the cold, blood stained water where Mako has just fallen seconds beforehand.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, this is the second and last chapter to this short two-shot. I really hope you like it and thank you all so much for reviewing, following, favoriting, and reading! I greatly appreciate it! :)**

_**Please comment/review and let me know what you think of it, I would greatly appreciate it, thank you!**_

**Thanks for reading! ^_^**

**I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA.**

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Korra dives into the water below the ring, diving right into the part of the water that is colored red, due to Mako's blood. She falls into the water and opens her eyes underwater, franticly searching for the injured Firebender.

Korra bends the red color water out of her way so she could see clearly and then that is when her eyes finally lock with Mako's, whom is sinking slowly to the bottom of the water. His eyes are closed and his lips are partly open; a red liquid is seeping out of his wounds, surrounding him and his clothes are completely torn.

The young Avatar quickly swims over to him and grabs his upper arm, pulling him to the top and out of the water. When her head breaks the surface of the water, she gasps for fresh air and takes a deep breath. She turns her head slightly so she faces Mako, his body limp against her; he is unconscious and his body is shaking.

"Hold on, Mako. I got ya' . . ." Korra whispers against Mako as she starts swimming to the platform that will take them out of the water. She yanks herself up onto the platform with Bolin and two other medical assistants' help and then they lift Mako onto the platform as well.

Bolin kneels down beside him unconscious brother and says in a shaky, scared voice, "Mako? Mako! Come on, wake up." Korra looks up to see the Earthbender nearly in tears and she frowns, tearing her eyes away from Bolin and looking back down at Mako.

The two medical waterbenders push Korra and Bolin out of the way, telling them that they are going to take Mako into the back room and begin healing him. However, Korra stops them and stands in front of Mako, narrowing her eyes at the waterbenders, "No!" Her voice is strong as she speaks, much emotion showing in her dark blue eyes, "I'm going to take care of him."

One thing Korra knows about Mako is that he doesn't trust people and she knows that if he wakes up to two strangers hovering over him, trying to heal him, he won't be so happy. She shakes her head and firmly says, "I'm the Avatar and I'm also a healer; I've learned from the best: Master Katara, the old war hero. If anyone is going to try to heal my friend, it's going to be me and me alone."

The waterbenders try to protest, but Korra shakes her head, snapping, "Now, help me bring him to the back room and then you leave us alone." The way she is glaring at them tells them that she is not kidding and she would have no problem knocking the two of them out.

The waterbenders, plus Bolin, help bring Mako's unconscious body into the back room where they take the injured Probending players. They lay Mako on the old couch, placing a bucket of water beside the couch and then leaving the room. Bolin looks at Korra and she simply nods her head, silently telling him that everything will be fine and to leave them alone.

The Earthbender nods his head and then shuts the door on his way out, praying silently to the Spirits that his brother will be okay.

Korra lets out the breath she has been holding and slowly turns her gaze towards Mako. She studies his beaten up, scratched face and then her eyes trail down to study the deep wounds on his body. She slowly moves her hand so it could gently caress his wet cheek and she closes her eyes at the feeling of his touch.

"Mako . . ." She quietly whispers and then slowly reopens her eyes a moment later. She whips at her own watery eyes and shakes her head; she has to focus on healing him. Healing first, emotions later.

The young Avatar slowly bends the water out of the bucket and moves the water so it is hovering over Mako's shoulder blade. She breathes in a deep breath and then the water begins to glow. She watches the wounds begin to repair themselves, but it isn't fully working.

The water isn't fully healing him and he is looking worse than he was before, if possible. She shakes her head as tears run down her cheeks. She clenches her hands, curling them into small fists and then she jumps to her feet and punches the nearby wall. "Argh!" She is beyond frustrated at this point.

She leans her forehead against the wall and closes her eyes, squeezing them shut. "_Why isn't the water working? What's going to happen to him?_" She is screaming into her head, her body shaking with emotion.

"I can't give up . . . I can't give up on him." Korra whispers to herself as she slowly walks back to the couch. She kneels down beside the couch in front of Mako's face and once again bends the water out of the bucket. She lifts the water onto his shoulder blade and tries again to heal it. The wound is deep; it looks bad and the blood is continuing to ooze out of the injury. She sighs as she shakes her head, quietly mumbling to herself, "Why did Jet have to do this to you? All because I didn't join his stupid team? Ugh, I swear when I get my hands on him-"

"Mm . . ." A soft, quiet mumble barely escapes Mako's lips, "Korra . . ."

Korra's eyes widen and she almost drops the water she is bending on top of him, but thankfully, she doesn't. She smiles widely when she sees his eyes cracking open slowly, but she continues to remain her focus on his shoulder wound.

When his eyes fully open, his amber color eyes lock with Korra's ice blue ones. He manages a crooked smile while he watches her heal his shoulder, "H-How b-bad is . . . is it?"

She glances at him, but then her eyes return to his shoulder, "Well, I would like to say that I've seen worse, but sadly . . . I haven't." She sighs and bends the water back in the bucket. She looks down at his stomach and sucks in a deep, shaky breath. "Mako, I'm sorry."

He raises his eyebrow at her, but before he could say anything, he starts coughing violently. Her eyes widen and she quickly grabs the cup that is placed on the counter across from the couch and gets him a glass of water. She rushes back over to him and lifts the cup to his lips, slowly helping him gulp down the water.

She places the now empty cup onto the floor and then she bends the water back out of the bucket and above his abdomen. He leans his head back against the pillow and closes his eyes. Korra gets worried at first, but when he speaks in a raspy voice, she once again continues to heal his stomach, "What . . . what a-are you s-sorry for?"

"You shouldn't be talking, Mako. You should, well, save your strength! You did take quite the beating . . ." Korra quickly says, her hands beginning to shake as tears threaten to spill once more.

"Korra," He quietly pleads, "t-tell me." Her ice color eyes shift a little so they lock with his and that's when he notices the tears forming in her bright, cerulean eyes. He goes to open his mouth to say something, but she cuts him off, "I'm sorry for everything, okay? It's just- ugh! This whole situation got so out of hand."

"Tell me a-about it." He says with a humorless chuckle and sighs, closing his eyes again. She nods her head and then suddenly, her sadness turns to anger. She narrows her eyes at him and quickly snaps at him, her piercing yell ringing through his ears, "What was your problem anyways? If you weren't so distracted you would have seen Jet's hit and dodge it!"

His amber eyes snap open and he gasps, his eyes wide in disbelief, "Whoah, wait a minute here, are you blaming _me_ for this?"

"Well," Korra shrugs one shoulder, sighing, "maybe I am . . ." She looks at him and almost instantly her facial features soften. She looks down and shakes her head, "No, it's not your fault, Mako. I'm sorry, it's just . . . well, I was worried. You have no idea what it was like for Bolin and I to watch you go flying into the water with a trail of blood left on the ring. I was so scared and so was Bolin. I screamed out your name, but you were already deep into the water. I jumped in after you and got you out, but, Spirits, Mako, you should have seen you. You were sinking to the bottom and your blood stained the water that was surrounding you red. Jet hit you pretty badly on the shoulder and on your stomach and, well, I wasn't sure if you were going to make it to be quite honest."

He listens to her, watching as her arms shake while she tries to hold back the sob that so desperately wants to escape her. She shakes her head and runs her hand through her damp, chocolate hair, "Mako, it's really . . . it's really my fault this happened to you." He gives her a confused, questioning look, not understanding how this could be her fault when it was obviously Jet's fault.

The Waterbender bites her lower lip and whips at her watery eyes, "Before the match started Jet came to me. First he was trying to be all cocky and charming, but that wasn't working so well. He was bragging at how he was the Team Captain of his team and he was, I guess, trying to flirt, but I blew him off. He got up all in my personal space and started saying these disgusting things, so I told him I had to finish getting ready and to stop. He pretty much _told_ me this was going to be a foul play match! He kept saying how sometimes referees don't see _everything_ and they could sometimes be _blind_ to _illegal_ moves." She sighs, looking down at ground, shaking her head, "I told him I could take him and I knew how important Probending is to you and Bolin so I told him I would make sure they lose and we win. He then told me he wouldn't use illegal moves . . . if I did something in return for him."

Mako could see Korra struggling with this and he could easily see how much she blames herself for his injuries. He wants to cut her off and tell her it isn't her fault, but he knows she has to get this out of her system and lift this weight off her shoulders. She swallows the rock that suddenly formed in her throat and continues, "He said if I joined their team, they wouldn't use illegal moves. You and Bolin were my first _real_ and close friends since I've gotten to Republic City and I wasn't going to just betray you both like that, so, I denied his offer, but I guess doesn't take no for an answer. He suddenly had me against the lockers and he was, well, kissing me and then, of course, that's when you walked in." She finally looks back up at Mako, her eyes locking with his, "I guess you left before you saw me shove him off me and yell at him. I told him to get off and leave me alone. He then promised me it wouldn't be a fair match and I suppose he was right about that."

"Korra-" The Firebender begins, but Korra quickly cuts him off, shaking her head at him, "No, Mako! It's my fault. You wouldn't be this badly hurt if I didn't deny Jet's stupid offer!"

"Hey," Mako finally gets her to listen. He shakes his head and sighs, "Korra, I would rather you deny his offer and I get hurt than having you betray my brother and I. I would rather have these wounds than lose a friend . . . like you."

Korra's eyes widen and then she quickly turns her attention back to the ground. She could feel her cheeks getting hot as she starts to blush and she slightly smiles, "Really?"

"Yeah . . . really." Mako simply says and then lifts his hand up to her, a crooked smile on his lips, "Korra, I'm glad I have you as a friend and if it means that I had to suffer these injuries to keep you as a friend, well, that's fine for me." He then adds, "Thank you, Korra, for sticking by mine and Bolin's side and helping us out with the Probending. You helped us out when we had no one else and you became a real good friend to me and my brother. You looked out for us and even when I was a complete jerk to you, you still have my back." Korra smiles back at him and nods while she slowly slips her hand into his and he quickly pulls her down so she is lying on top of him. He weakly wraps his arms around her body and hugs her, his face getting lost in her hair. Her face is buried into the crock of his neck and she smiles into the hug.

When she hears him wince, she quickly jumps off him and kneels down beside the couch, smiling, "Oops . . . forgot about the wound on your stomach."

He shakes his head and waves her off with his hand, "No problem . . . you can heal me though . . . right? Because I don't mean to complain, but, um, Spirits, it hurts." Korra chuckles and nods her head, already bending the water out of the bucket and over his wound. The water begins to glow and she continues to heal him, concentrating on the injury.

He watches her heal him and he looks down, feeling his own guilt take over. He sighs and breaks the silence with his own apology, "Korra, I should be the one saying sorry."

She glances over at him, raising a questioning eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"When I saw you and Jet kissing, I jumped automatically to the wrong conclusion. I wouldn't even hear you out! I just thought you would betray us . . . betray _me_ like that. When I saw you two kissing, I left a wave of jealously run through my body. I was so hurt and I just stormed off, replacing my jealously and sadness with anger and rage. I took it out on you, snapping and saying hurtful things to you when I didn't even know the whole story. I yelled at you, blamed you for us losing that round. I told you to save us the time of losing and leave the team. I was so harsh to you and I didn't even care if I hurt you. I left, well, you hurt me by kissing Jet so I should hurt you. It wasn't right, I know that, but, it's just . . . I'm sorry."

She looks down, her eyes locking with the blood that is still pouring out of his cut on his stomach and she sighs, "Mako, I understand. You were hurt because you thought I betrayed you. You have nothing to be sorry for-"

"You don't understand," He quickly stops her, "I was watching you get double teamed out there and when I knew I could have helped you out, I _didn't_! I just watched you get hit from all different angles and I didn't even bother even _trying_ to help you out. If you would have gotten seriously hurt, I would have never been able to forgive myself, Korra."

"The thing is," The Firebender continues, "as much as I was mad at you at the time, when I heard you scream out in pain, I got distracted. I lost focused and looked to see if you were okay. I was worried about you, despite everything, I hated hearing you scream like that. I felt so guilty and I was already blaming myself when the yell came out of your mouth. I was scared to see how bad you got hurt, but before I could fully see if you were injured or not, that's when Jet hit me and I went flying out of the ring."

Korra finishes healing his stomach the best she could and she bends the stream of water back into the bucket. She looks up at his pale face that is starting to regain its color. He could see the love and worry in her eyes and the emotions swimming around in her ice color eyes. She whips at them, feeling them get watery, but before she could manage to say anything to him, he cuts her off, "Korra, I'm an idiot. I think we have both established that, but the thing is, I, um, Korra, I like you. I mean, hey, you drive me crazy. You're stubborn, hothead, immature at times, insane, hyper, sometimes annoying, and-"

"Get to the point, City-Boy." Korra interrupts, narrowing her eyes at him as her eyebrow goes up in annoyance.

"My point is," He starts again, "despite all of those things, I wouldn't change a thing about you. I love it how you're caring and how you would do anything for your friends and family; even strangers you would do anything for. I love your determination and the strength you have. I admire how you're doing everything in your power in order to be the best Avatar you could be; you are an amazing Avatar and person. We fight a lot, yeah, but we can get along too. I trust you with my life, Korra. There isn't a moment that I've spent with you that I regret. I'm glad I met you and I'm glad you're my friend and someone I could count on. Korra, I like you . . . a lot and I think my jealously tonight proved that I can't stand it when I see you with anyone else."

She can't help, but let the corner of her lips curve up into a small smile at Mako's words. She can't even describe how happy she feels at this moment. Korra tightly holds onto his hand and nods her head, not even knowing what to say, "I think it's about time you said that, Mako."

He rolls his golden eyes and chuckles, "Can't you just say that you like me back?"

"Hey, what makes you think I like you back, huh?" She quickly says with her famous pout rising to her lips. She raises an eyebrow at him and waits for his respond, but she only receives a shake to the head.

"Are you denying it?" The Firebender asks, his own eyebrow raising as he cocks his head slightly to the side, grinning at her.

She rolls her eyes and laughs, shaking her head, "Maybe . . . no. It may be true; I _may_ like you back." She shrugs one shoulder at him and he shrugs his own shoulders back at her, "Hey, I guess you're not getting a kiss until you admit it."

She frowns and folds her arms across her chest, "Oh, really?"

"Really." He simply states, trying to fold his own arms across his chest, but then winces. "Ow."

"Oh just relax, City-Boy, before you damage yourself any further." The Avatar says with a chuckle as she sits on the couch by his legs and stares at his bright eyes. He smiles at her and she can't help herself, but moves up closer to his face; she begins leaning in. He lifts his own head up and presses his lips against hers; both of their lips moving slowly and passionately.

Both of their eyes close at the touch of their lips against each other's and the kiss is full of passion and love. They both continue the kiss until the door swings open and Bolin suddenly appears, clearly out of breath. He is panting heavily and Mako and Korra both quickly pull apart from one another; blushing.

Korra's eyes are wide and so are Mako and both of their faces are a dark shade of red. She swallows the lump that is stuck in her throat and rubs the back of her neck, "B-Bolin?"

"Oh, what, yeah? Oh! Right. Okay, wow, I'm tired." Bolin walks into the room, shutting the door behind him. He raises an eyebrow when he notices how red their faces are and how nervous they both look; they both have guilty looks on their faces. "Um, did I interrupt something?"

"What? No!" Korra quickly says and Mako just shakes his head. Bolin's lime green eyes shift to his brother and a wide smile breaks along the Earthbender's face, "Mako! Oh, Mako, you're okay! You're awake!" He quickly rushes over to his brother's side and quickly drags Mako into a tight bear hug.

Mako's eyes almost pop right out of his head because of how hard Bolin is squeezing him and he can't breathe. He moans out, obviously in pain due to his wounds on his stomach and shoulder, and he tries to struggle out of his brother's grip.

"Bolin! He can't breathe." Korra quickly says, placing her hand on Bolin's shoulder. He quickly lets go out his brother and backs away slowly, watching the Firebender gasp for air.

"Oh . . . oops . . . sorry about, um, that." Bolin mumbles, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm just _really_ glad you're okay, Bro."

Mako smiles up at his younger brother and nods his head, "I know. It's okay, Bo. I'm okay though, Korra healed me up the best she can. I just need some rest, right, Korra?"

She nods her head while her hand rubs the upper part of her other arm. She looks away and shrugs one shoulder, "Yeah, he should be fine. He just has to stay put and relax." Bolin nods and she could feel Mako's eyes staring at her. She starts backing up towards the door, clapping her hands together, "I got to go. I have to, well, deal with a few things. I'll be right back though."

Then with that, Korra exits the room, leaving the two brothers alone. Bolin folds his arms across his chest and raises an eyebrow at his brother, shaking his head, "What did you do? Please don't tell me you both got into another fight."

"Actually . . . no, we didn't." Mako says, a smile forming onto his face, "We're actually getting along really, really well."

"Define 'really, really well'." The Earthbender says, his eyebrows now disappearing into his hair from them rising so high up.

Mako sighs and looks down at his hands, silently thinking to himself, "_This should be really fun to explain . . ._"

**. . .**

Korra opens the door quietly, thinking Bolin left to head back to the apartment and thinking Mako is asleep on the couch, still healing. She shuts the door behind her and looks over to actually see Bolin's eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

She raises her eyebrow at them and points to Bolin, "Um, did I miss something?"

Mako shakes his head, "He's been like this for about an hour now." He looks over at his brother, who is still standing there in shock, "I tried snapping him out of it, but it's not working out so well."

"Well, what hap-" Before she could finish her sentence, Bolin suddenly spins around and points his index finger close to Korra's face, "_You_ and _Mako _. . ._ KISSED_?!"

Korra's eyes widen and Mako could feel himself once again blushing. He shakes his head and sighs, "Oh sure _now_ you decide to talk."

"You told?!" The Avatar yells towards Mako, her eyes wide with shock and confusion. He shrugs one shoulder, "Well I'm sorry, I didn't know it was supposed to be a secret!"

"I just thought you wanted to talk about it first . . . to be quite honest I thought you were just saying all of those things because you _just_ woke up from being unconscious and you weren't thinking straight after hitting your head that bad!" Korra says, running her hand through her hair. She then turns to Bolin, "Um, Bo? Are you, well, okay?"

Bolin shakes his head, shaking off the shock and then smiles at the Waterbender. "Am I? Okay? Me? Korra, what do you think. It was obviously that the moment you saw the guy you fell for him. I knew my brother was a bit . . . awkward and rude at first, well, he was more of an idiot and jerk, but I saw the way he looked at you. I knew my brother had something for you and when he went flying into the water like that . . . the way you screamed out to him and jumped right after him, I knew you guys shared this weird, special, bond . . . thing. I'm happy for you guys, really. Oh, and besides, now I have a chance with Asami." Bolin adds that last part about Asami with a wink and a soft laugh.

Korra and Mako both roll their eyes, but smile nevertheless at the Earthbender. Bolin then sits on the chair that is beside the couch and looks up at Korra, "Oh, by the way, what was the thing you had to take care of?"

"Oh," She starts, rubbing the back of her neck, "the thing I had to take care of. Well, let's just say, in two weeks we're getting a rematch against the Ba Sing Se Badgermoles. Only this time, we're getting a fair match; I made sure of that alright."

"Korra," Mako says in a stern, knowing tone, "what did you do?"

She shrugs her shoulder, casually walking around the room like she did absolutely nothing at all. She smiles at him, but when she receives a glare and a scold look on Mako's face, she sighs, frowning. "Okay, okay, jeez, I _may_ have used excessive force on the referee."

"Korra!" Both brothers yell at her in unison. She lifts her hands up in a defensive way and shakes her head, "Hey! It wasn't my fault he wouldn't take me asking nicely as the first option! He just told me to mind my own business, _so_, I ended up changing his opinion."

"How?" Mako asks, shaking his head as he folds his arms across his chest, clearly not in agreement at the Avatar's actions. She rolls her eyes, "_Well_, first I tried hanging him by his foot over the Yue Bay, but he didn't seem too scared. _So_, I may have had him tied to a tree with Naga nicely sitting in front of him, waiting to be . . . fed."

" . . ."

" . . ."

Korra watches Bolin and Mako look at her like she has three heads. She bites down on her lower lip and watches as Mako throws his hands over his face and Bolin just stare at her in, once again, complete shock.

"Um, guys?" Korra tries getting them to speak, but neither of them says a single word. It even looks like they both stopped breathing. "Hello? Guys?"

"Korra," Mako finds himself starting to speak in a very slow and quiet voice, "remember when I told you how hotheaded and crazy you are?" She nods her head so he continues, "Now would be one of those times when you prove me right on those two statements!"

She pouts and crosses her arms, "Hey! So not fair to judge me like that." He just rolls his eyes and then turns to Bolin, "Bolin, can you go see if the referee is still _alive_?"

Korra rolls her eyes at that comment and mumbles, "He is . . ." Bolin, however, nods his head and smiles at his brother, "See you later, Bro. Um, you two, well, have fun." He then skips out the door, leaving the two of them alone.

The Waterbender walks over to the couch and sits beside him, lacing her fingers between his own. "I'm sorry . . . I just wanted to help. Oh! And before you end up finding out later . . . I kind of, well, had a few 'words' with Jet and his team."

"Korra, if someone walks in right now telling me you killed Jet and his team and now we're all getting kicked out of Probending and going to jail . . . I think I just may kill you myself." Mako says with a complete straight face, which actually scares Korra for a second. She just waves him off, "No, I didn't 'kill' anyone, Mr. Hot Head. I just, well, had a few 'words' with him and his team. I made sure that if they _ever_ pull another move like that again, I will personally make sure they are more scared of me than they are of Amon."

Mako's eyes widen and he then asks slowly, "Korra, did you hit any of them?"

"Jet went to go throw an earth disc at me, but I have quick reflexes and stopped him just in time. Oh, and then Naga came before Nyla and Hasook could do anything to me." Korra says with a smile. He nods his head and pulls her gently down so she is lying against him on the couch; both of their bodies are pushed against each others. She turns so she is facing him, her stomach pressing against his stomach. She tries to not move too much or press to hard against him, knowing his wounds on his stomach is still pretty bad and his shoulder is still healing as well.

She stares up at him and places her hand softly onto his cheek. Her sapphire color eyes lock with his bright, shinning amber eyes and she quietly whispers, "Mako, I'm really, really glad you're okay. If something were to happen to you . . . I would have lost it. I would have probably entered the Avatar State and killed every one."

He smiles down at her and kisses her forehead, "Korra, I'm okay. I really am. I'm just, well, banged up a bit, but thanks to _you_, I'm better."

"Good . . . that's good." She smiles and then cuddles against his chest, "Now, get some rest. You definitely need the strength."

"Well, now that I'm _going out_ with you, I'm am really going to need the strength." He winks at her and she slaps his good shoulder playfully, "Hey! Not funny, City-Boy!"

He just stares at her, waiting for her to fully understand and progress what he said. She stares at him for a few minutes before her eyes widen and a wide smile crosses her face, "Wait . . . so, we're officially going out?"

He laughs and smiles his famous, sexy, crooked smile at her, "You bet we are."

She squeaks in delight and doesn't waste a second before wrapping her arms around his neck and slamming her lips against his own. She smiles into the kiss and she could feel him doing the same.

They both have each other's backs; they always did and always will. They have each other and they know no matter what obstacles or chaos they end up going through, they know they have each other to help get through it and they have Bolin as well. And to them, that's all that matters.


End file.
